Platinum Collection, The - Mari Wilson > Reviews > Mari Wilson -The Platinum Collection

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	First time on cd for many tracks
Disadvantages:	pastiche agenda limits wider appeal

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Slightly more worthy than her solitary hit "Just What i Always Wanted "suggests,provided its approached and enjoyed as pure pastiche and indulgent nostalgic enjoyment,even in 1982 Mari Wilson was portrayed as nostalgic ,her 15 minuteds of fame arriving at the tail end of a post punk mod revival,the whole concept relied on and evoked an age that never quite was,stylish lyrics ,glamorous outfits and a showband mentality that recalled the glory days of The Supremes ,Lulu and Sandie Shaw all put together on a shoestring budget inSouth London at the turn of the eighties initially as a very appealing live draw along the lines of Paul Youngs Q-Tips with a little less sweat.

The aforementioned hit single is fairly representative of the rest of this fantastically priced collection and its a minor mystery how she didnt achieve at least half a dozen top tenners ,the unheard of but unforgettabe "Baby its you" sounding like a note perfect cover version of a song thet never existed provided the agenda for most of the first album included here ,and the nearly hit "Wonderful"with its flutes and strings still sounds fresh and innocent,and innocent being a perfect adjective to describe this enjoyable experience .

Mostly remembered for her bee hive hair do and cod glamour ,"The Platinum Collection" offers a opportunity to show Mari Wilson in a more complimentary light ,being at least as entertaining as her contemporaries of the time like The Belle Stars and the Paul Weller sponsored Tracie!,the obvious nostalgic agenda can irritate after a while but then again this record is not designed for repeated plays merely quick bursts of sunday morning youthful recall.

This is the first time on c.d for many of these tracks quite surprising in these days of re-issue,re package and revision,its taken nearly 25 years for this colection of songs to make their way back into commercial availability,an absolute god send for serious collectors with the early singles "Beat The Beat and "Dancecard "making their debut on compact disc and a definite event for casual buyers of a certain age who had nearly forgotten Miss Wilsons contribution to quality 80,s pop.
Longevity alluded Mari Wilson in her initial role as pop singer but she managed to forge a credible career in film and television recording the themes for BBc,s "Coupling" (Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps)and "Would you Dance With a Stranger"from the Ruth Ellis bio pic in 1991,both of these track are included here ,the sleeve notes are a little scant but with such a high standard of music and a staggeringly affordable price tag the pro,s outweigh the cons considerably ,this curious little snapshot could be yours for the price of a white wine and soda without even having to que .